Hannover, Germany – April 23, 2018 – Ultimaker, the global leader in desktop 3D printing, today unveiled at Hannover Messe the Ultimaker S5, the latest expansion of its professional 3D printer portfolio. The future-ready Ultimaker S5 is fully optimized to fit seamlessly into existing workflows and delivers even more reliable results than before. With its larger build volume, the Ultimaker S5 is the ultimate professional solution for printing functional prototypes, manufacturing tools, and end-use parts.

The Ultimaker S5 has fully integrated hardware, software and materials configuration, as well as optimal settings alignment, designed for professional users that require full geometrical freedom capabilities, industrial-grade material properties, repeatability, high uptime and an integrated workflow. Boasting an optimized touch screen for better user experience, it features a 330x240x300 mm build volume for printing larger objects, dual extrusion, and an improved feeder system with a filament flow sensor that auto pauses and resumes when materials run out—leaving print quality untouched. The enhanced bed leveling ensures a perfect first layer and continuously compensates the print bed while printing, which allows unattended use of the Ultimaker S5. The Ultimaker S5 unlocks new applications and can print with a wider range of materials, from PLA to advanced engineering plastics like Nylon and PC. The Ultimaker S5 includes a closed front system, and from fall 2018, an anodized buildplate. A full overview of specs can be found here.

Ultimaker also introduced two additional products designed to make professional 3D printing even more accessible and easier to integrate into any workflow:

Ultimaker Tough PLA - A technical PLA filament optimized for printing models at larger sizes such as functional prototyping, tooling and manufacturing aids, with no delamination or warping. With an impact strength similar and higher stiffness compared to Ultimaker ABS, Tough PLA is less brittle than regular PLA and gives a more matte surface finish quality.

Ultimaker App – The Ultimaker App allows users stay updated on the print’s progress from a phone or tablet where ever they are. The free Ultimaker App notifies users when a print job is ready or when a printer needs special attention or maintenance. The Ultimaker App will be available on May 15th for Android and iOS, and works with Ultimaker S5 and Ultimaker 3 3D printers.

“The development of the Ultimaker S5, in combination with the new material solutions and the Ultimaker App, sets a new standard for smart and accessible professional 3D printing,” says Jos Burger, CEO of Ultimaker. “Our commitment to building a complete 3D printing solution, from hardware to software and materials, offers our growing professional user base an increasingly integrated, automated and reliable print process with a very high succession rate. The time needed to configure this new 3D printer is lower than ever, which allows users to fully focus on the creation of functional prototypes, larger objects and other designs and models that require full geometrical design freedom capabilities. Combined with our continuously updated software and our global sales and service network, we have made local digital manufacturing a reality.”

Prof. Axel Herrmann, CEO of Composite Technology Center GmbH an Airbus Company: “When your work is shaping the future of aerospace, innovation is key. So at CTC, we use 3D printing not only to create extremely useful manufacturing aids and prototypes for Airbus and other customers, but also as a learning tool to prepare the workforce for tomorrow. Because of the ease of use of the Ultimaker S5 and the low costs involved with Ultimaker FFF 3D printing, we can easily make several iterations before reaching a final, even better design and still shrink lead times from weeks to days. Working with the Ultimaker S5 definitely unleashes even more creativity among our Engineers.”

Lars Bognar, Research Engineer Additive Manufacturing at Ford:“In automotive, every second counts, so we are pleased to see that the Ultimaker S5 has a larger build volume which allows us to print larger jigs and fixtures or multiple manufacturing aids at once. Combined with the automated, reliable print process and the ability to now print with a very wide range of industrial-grade materials, the Ultimaker S5 allows our engineers and designers to fully iterate and test certain functional prototypes to as real conditions as possible without scaling. After conducting successful tests, we also use our Ultimaker 3D printers to create the final end-use manufacturing aids that continuously help us to improve our workflow."

Johannes Grimm, part of the Operational Excellence and Engineering team at ZEISS Industrial Metrology Business Group: “The creation of optical components requires absolute accuracy and in Ultimaker we have found a partner in precise 3D printing, with the materials we need. The enhanced bed leveling of the Ultimaker S5 ensures that we can fully rely on our 3D printed manufacturing aids by compensating for any small, natural variations in the build plate surface, so we don’t have to continuously monitor the printer. The quality results we get from the Ultimaker S5 allow us for instance, to print tools we can use to align a mirror at exactly the right place while gluing it, but also to create end-use parts that we use for O-SELECT, our intelligent digital measuring projector. With the Ultimaker S5, we are ready to continue our contribution to technological progress for many years.”

Rodrigues Dimitri, 3D Print Driver at Renault:"Because of the accessibility and reliability of Ultimaker 3D printers, we quickly embedded this technology in our design workflow. The fact that the Ultimaker S5 is even more intuitive and delivers a perfect first layer for every print means we spend hardly any time setting up and checking on the 3D printers. This frees up our team more time to fully focus on the creation of new innovations that help to improve and speed up our engine manufacturing process.”

Luis Reis, Pilot Plant Engineer at Volkswagen:“In 2017, we estimated that we avoid around €325,000 of costs by 3D printing multiple tool and fixtures with Ultimaker 3D printers. The enhanced feeder on the Ultimaker S5, designed to print with advanced technical plastics such as composite materials, allows us to print reliably with an even wider range of industrial-grade materials, which is a great benefit for us.”

The Ultimaker S5 and Ultimaker Tough PLA will be available on May 15, 2018 through Ultimaker's network of global partners. For more information, please visit www.ultimaker.com or read our blog.

About Ultimaker

Ultimaker has been in operation since 2011, and over the years has grown to become a market-leader; creating powerful, professional and accessible desktop 3D printers with offices in the Netherlands, New York, and Boston, plus production facilities in Europe and the US. Ultimaker's team of over 300 employees continually strives to offer the highest-quality 3D printers, software, and materials on the market to accelerate the world’s transition to local digital manufacturing.